A simplified silylation process

This paper discusses a simplified ''silylation'' process, which converts typical diazo-type photoresists into oxygen plasma etch barriers that are insoluble and thermally stable. Previous workers have reported on a silylation process that incorporates silicon in the resist in the gas phase. This paper reports on the use of a bifunctional silylation agent, which when diffused into the patterned resist using a solvent carrier, crosslinks the novolac resin, incorporating silicon in the matrix. The mechanism and the properties of the resist film after silylation such as thermal stability, reactive ion etch (RIE) resistance, silicon content, and solubility will be discussed.